I have a couple of questions to ask you about your spring replacement. First of all, how did you make your cpvc ring out of a cpvc coupler? Did you just use a pipe cutter to cut it?
You display a common misconception about PVC/CPVC: It's difficult to cut. Any saw, knife, pipe cutter, etc. etc., should work just fine. Serrated blades are easier since you don't need to make the cut in one go, but I'd be surprised if a good chef or butcher couldn't cut a piece of PVC with a large kitchen knife in one whack. I have cut it with a piece of string. So yes, just use whatever tool you use for cutting and cut the coupler down to a ring.